Work includes trimming along more than
3,400 miles of power lines in 2023
MORRISTOWN, N.J., June 7, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a
subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is investing
approximately $34 million in 2023 to
trim trees along more than 3,400 miles of power lines across its
13-county central and northern New
Jersey service area. This work will help prevent or minimize
the impact of tree-related damages during severe weather, as fallen
trees and branches contacting lines and electrical equipment remain
a leading cause of power outages.
Since Jan. 1, JCP&L
contractors have successfully completed trimming along more than
760 miles of lines, with nearly 2,700 miles of additional trimming
expected to be completed by the end of the year.
"Tree trimming is a year-round effort by our crews and
contractors and just one of the proactive steps we take to minimize
the impact of power outages and ensure the safe, reliable delivery
of electricity," said James Fakult,
president of FirstEnergy's New
Jersey operations. "Doing this work in a responsible way is
also a priority, as our stewardship of the environment and our
communities is a core value for JCP&L."
Vegetation near power lines is inspected to ensure trees are
pruned in a manner that helps preserve the health of trees while
maintaining proper clearances around electrical equipment. All
trimming work is conducted by certified forestry contractors under
the company's direction and done in compliance with regulatory
requirements.
Crews are also continuing a multi-year effort to identify and
remove deteriorated ash trees that have been affected by the
Emerald Ash Borer. Last year, nearly 40% of tree-related power
outages in JCP&L's service territory were caused by ash trees.
Since the initiative to mitigate the dangers posed by these trees
began in 2017, nearly 20,000 dead or diseased trees have been
removed.
JCP&L will trim trees in the following counties and
municipalities over the next two months:
- Burlington –
Fort Dix
- Essex – Short Hills (Millburn)
- Hunterdon –
Alexandria, Bethlehem, Bloomsbury, Califon, Delaware, East Amwell, Flemington, Holland, Lebanon, Milford, Raritan, Tewksbury, Union and West Amwell
- Mercer – Hightstown, Hopewell and West
Windsor
- Middlesex –
Cranbury, East Brunswick, Helmetta, Jamesburg, Monroe, Old Bridge and Spotswood
- Monmouth – Aberdeen,
Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold, Freehold
Borough, Holmdel,
Howell, Manalapan, Manasquan, Marlboro, Middletown, Millstone, Sea
Girt, Spring Lake,
Spring Lake Heights, Tinton Falls, Upper Freehold and Wall
- Morris – Chatham, Chester, Chester
Borough, Denville,
Morris Plains, Morristown, Mount
Tabor (Parsippany-Troy Hills), Mount Olive, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Randolph,
Roxbury and Washington
- Mercer –Bayville (Berkeley), Forked River (Lacey), Jackson, Lanoka
Harbor (Lacey),
Manchester, Plumsted, South Toms River and Toms River
- Somerset – Bedminster and Warren
- Sussex – Franklin, Glenwood
(Vernon), Hamburg,
Lafayette, McAfee (Vernon), Newton, Sparta, Sussex and Vernon
- Union – Berkeley Heights, Murray Hill (Berkeley Heights-New
Providence), New Providence
and Summit
- Warren – Alpha Borough, Changewater (Washington), Greenwich, Hackettstown, Oxford, Pohatcong, Port Murray (Mansfield) and Washington
JCP&L works with municipalities to proactively inform them
of vegetation management schedules. In addition, customers living
in areas along company rights-of-way are notified prior to work
being performed. To help further decrease tree-related outages,
JCP&L's foresters are also working to educate residents who
live near company equipment about the importance of properly
maintaining trees on their own property.
In a rate review filed with the New
Jersey Board of Public Utilities in March, JCP&L
proposed an approximately $11 million
annual increase in vegetation management and tree trimming
activities. The additional funding would allow for increased
trimming of trees threatening power lines outside of company
rights-of-way. In 2022, 84% of tree-related outages were caused by
trees outside of JCP&L's trimming corridors.
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of
Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union
and Warren. Follow JCP&L on
Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com.
Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter: @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of workers using bucket trucks
to trim trees near FirstEnergy power lines are available for
download on Flickr. A video explaining FirstEnergy's vegetation
management techniques can also be found on YouTube.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.